Iowa Republicans are embracing Joe Biden to troll Hillary Clinton

Vice President Joe Biden and former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton appear onstage at the Vital Voices Global Partnership 2013 Global Leadership Awards gala. AP/Cliff Owen Republicans are mocking Hillary Clinton's absence from the 2016 campaign trail by rolling out the red carpet for Vice President Joe Biden.

Biden, who hasn't ruled out running for president next year, visited Iowa on Thursday for two events on college campuses. The state's GOP reacted to the news by gleefully noting it's been some time since Clinton, the Democratic front-runner, dropped by the key presidential primary state.

"We welcome Vice President Biden to Iowa and are glad he is here to give Iowa voters the time and consideration they deserve," the party's chairman, Jeff Kaufmann, said in a statement.

Meanwhile, co-chair Cody Hoefert accused Clinton of expecting a "coronation" despite coming in third place in Iowa when she last ran for president in 2008.

"Say what you will about Vice President Biden, but at least he's here," Hoefert said. "While the Republican Party prepares for one of the most vibrant nomination contests in memory, the Democrats are frozen in place waiting for Hillary Clinton's coronation. Hillary has never had a warm relationship with Iowa voters, and it's clear she doesn't care much to fix it now. I'm confident Iowa voters will remember this in 2016."

Clinton's team insists she will fight hard for the state's votes if she launches a bid for the White House. Her campaign is widely viewed as all but certain and polls show she is well ahead of any potential rivals.

"If she runs, she will take nothing for granted, and she will fight for every vote," Clinton's spokesman Nick Merrill told The Des Moines Register. "Anyone who thinks otherwise should think again."

However, Clinton has had almost no public appearances or media interviews so far this year. In January, she notably held two events but they were paid speaking engagements in Canada. (Clinton has been fiercely criticized for taking sums as high as $300,000 in speaking fees.)

The national Republican Party also recently mocked Clinton for her lack of public events. The party bought a "Hillary's Hiding" billboard in Iowa on Wednesday and even released a fake movie trailer the next day noting she launched her 2008 campaign much earlier: